Construction began in December 1980. By 1982, the cost was estimated at $600 million, and about three-quarters of it was borrowed from banks.
Oriental Land was betting on location. The park was about 20 minutes by train from central Tokyo, and some 30 million people lived within 30 miles of it.
On April 15, 1983, Tokyo Disneyland opened on the land Takahashi had won from the sea. It was the first Disney park ever built outside the United States.
Its 100 millionth guest came through the gates eight years later. In 2001, Oriental Land opened a second park on the same land, Tokyo DisneySea.